I think I've been on Facebook since I was in eighth grade. At that point in time, it didn't matter how many friends you had, how many "likes" your pictures got, or even who liked your pictures. It was more about the games, apps (anyone remember Pieces of Flair or Bumper Stickers?), and notes (a.k.a. the long surveys you were tagged in for no real reason).
Since 2008, Facebook has changed immensely. With the rise in popularity of Twitter, and the introduction of Instagram and Snapchat, not only did the layout of Facebook changed but how we began to use Facebook changed too.
Over time, social media (not just Facebook) has become a central part of our lives. We post pictures, news articles, and little tid bits from our days. But we also care about who's liked our pictures, who's friends with who, and even if a couple is "Facebook official."
This is where my love-hate relationship with social media starts. I think there are so many wonderful aspects to it, but I also think there are a lot of negative aspects to it.
One of the great things about social media is the connection. We can connect to family members who live across the country (or across the world). We can stay connected with friends who don't live close, especially those who moved away for college or those you met studying abroad. Sometimes it's hard to text all the time or make a long phone call, so social media is a great way to give an update on how you're doing.
But there is a downside to all this connection.
Now, so many of us are focused on who we interact with. We pay attention to how many people like that picture we just posted (we want to see numbers, not names, on Instagram).
Now, we can see when someone is ignoring our text. And I'm not just talking about read receipts in iMessage, I'm talking about people tweeting instead of replying. People commenting on posts instead of typing a quick reply.
I know this can sometimes cause moments of upset in friendships and relationships, just because it's frustrating when it feels like someone is ignoring us. But there are other things social media does to upset the balance in any relationship.
I've seen issues start in relationships with the question of making it "Facebook official." Just the idea that a relationship isn't official until it's on Facebook is enough to ruffle some feathers. Then, it becomes an issue of if you're posting enough about your significant other. And it goes on from there, with the focus suddenly becoming on the social media relationship, not the actual relationship.
I think it's time we take a break from our social media relationships. Let's take a break from worrying about who we see on Facebook, and focus on who the people next to us are. After all, what you see online isn't the complete picture. Shouldn't we be focused on the real person, not the online person anyway?
